Pain And Joy Of Hearts
by btamamura
Summary: After Natsuki learned of Sho's secret, the two of them found themselves becoming closer. Shounen-ai. Natsuki x Sho


**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Uta no Prince-sama, nor the characters._

**Notes:**_** This is my very first UtaPuri fanfiction, and frankly, I am proud of how it turned out. I learned of Sho's heart disease from game spoilers. For a while now, I've been a supporter of Natsuki x Sho, so this story will have that pairing. Because of that, I'm issuing a shounen-ai warning. If you don't like the idea of Natsuki and Sho in a romantic relationship, please leave now. If you don't mind it or are a supporter, then I hope you enjoy! (Also, please forgive any OOCness, I tried my hardest with Sho, Natsuki and Satsuki...)**_

_**"Sho-chan!"**_

_**Kurusu Sho turned to his roommate and childhood friend Shinomiya Natsuki. He was not surprised to see a headband with cat ears on it. "No, not again! You just took photos of me in that teddy bear outfit, never mind the other eight costumes and accessories!"**_

_**"Aww, come on, Sho-chan..." Natsuki brought out more items. They were a tail and large paws, the paws would be worn like gloves. The final item was a collar with a bow and bell on it.**_

_**"No! Absolutely not! I'd rather eat your cooking than wear that!"**_

_**"Do you really mean that?"**_

_**"Yeah, I do!"**_

_**"Alright." He put the items down. "So, what would you like? Cupcakes? Cookies?"**_

_Oh great, he's serious..._

_**Natsuki was moving around the room, grabbing the blender, ingredients, his apron and kerchief, and finally, his flamethrower and safety equipment. "Maybe I'll give you some cupcakes since you enjoy them so much." Natsuki never thought Sho fainted from his murderous cooking, he always thought the younger blond fainted out of sheer delight, never mind Sho always appeared to have been poisoned.**_

_**Sho watched with dread as Natsuki cracked the eggs and put them into the blender. He knew what was to follow. Random amounts of milk, sugar, butter and flour were thrown in, and following that were two chocolate bars, complete with their wrappers. Should he say something before the tobasco sauce, chilli sauce, fermented soy beans and pureed squid were added to the mix? "Wait!"**_

_**Natsuki paused in the middle of adding pureed squid. "What is it, Sho-chan?"**_

_**"You don't have to cook. I'll wear the cat costume. I'll even pose for each picture."**_

_**"That's great! But, I still need to finish."**_

_**"No, you don't!" Sho thought of how to best phrase his rushed disagreement. There had to be something going on, Natsuki was being more demanding about the cosplay, and that was saying something. "I can't pose if I'm unconscious, right?"**_

_**"That is true!" Natsuki abandoned the attempted cake batter and picked up the outfit. "After a few photos, I also want to get some of you in your **__Shoko__** outfit, still with those."**_

_**Sho sighed as he allowed Natsuki to put each item on him. "What's going on? You're making me dress up more than usual. Normally, it's twice on school nights, thrice on weekends and then five times on holidays." He lifted his chin so the collar could be fastened. "This is the tenth outfit tonight."**_

_**"Nothing's wrong." He moved back, mobile in hand, ready to catch more material for adorable wallpapers. "Okay, Sho-chan~! **__Nya~!__**"**_

_**Sho understood. He held up his hands, bending them forward as they rested near his chin.**_

_**"Okay...smile!" Without waiting, he started snapping away. "Ah~! So cute~!"**_

_**Sho noticed there was less enthusiasm than usual in his friend's exclamation. Normally, he'd be repeating it over and over, sometimes loudly. **__Something's definitely going on. What is it?_

_**The first photo session involving cat ears was finished. Natsuki brought out the dress and wig he'd given to Sho to wear so he could audition for Ryuuya-sensei's movie. "Okay, now to get pictures of you as a cute cat girl."**_

_**Sho lost all fight, he may as well just do as requested. He accepted the outfit and started to change.**_

_**Natsuki noticed the scar on the left side of Sho's chest. He inhaled sharply, knowing that Kaoru hadn't lied when he told Natsuki that Sho had required heart surgery. "Sho-chan?"**_

_**"Yeah?"**_

_**The response was Natsuki hugging him from behind in a firm embrace.**_

_**"Hey! What are you doing? Get off me!" He tried pushing the taller blond off, but the grip was too tight. "Let me go!"**_

_**"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.**_

_**"Huh?"**_

_**"That time you suddenly disappeared for three months, I had no idea what had happened. I asked Kaoru-kun, and he told me. Why didn't you tell me about your heart disease? Or your surgery?"**_

_**"Because you'd be different around me. If you knew, you'd treat me as if I was made of glass. I'd rather you force me into cute outfits than that."**_

_**"I wish you had told me. I feel horrible for not being there for you."**_

_**"It was better that you didn't know. I didn't want to tell you until I was better. The surgery helped, but I still have a while to go until I'm fully recovered."**_

_**"What are your chances now?"**_

_**"They increased to about 45% chance of survival. But, the odds are still against me. Not that it means I could die within the next few days." He turned to Natsuki. "So, don't treat me differently. Sure, I get tiresome of the cosplay requests, but I prefer those to you acting like I'm easy to break. I'm still alive, aren't I?"**_

Sho thought about that coversation as he lay in his hospital bed. He'd had a minor heart attack during class, but because he'd received help as soon as he felt the tightness in his chest, there had been no damage. But, due to his disease, he had to stay in hospital for a few days to have his condition monitored.

The door burst open, and in ran Natsuki. "Sho-chan! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It was only minor, and I received first aid immediately, so there was no damage."

"Oh, that's a relief." He sat on the seat by the bed. "When Ren told me you were having problems and had to go to the hospital, I almost collapsed."

"Sorry."

"Why are you apologising?"

"For worrying you. This is one of the reasons I didn't want you to know."

"You're my friend, of course I'd be worried. Even if it was just a cold, I would worry about you."

"Natsuki..."

"Is Kaoru-kun coming?"

"Yeah, but not until tonight."

"Would you like me to stay with you?"

"Sure, but what about school?"

"You're more important."

Sho hardly saw Natsuki so serious, he was so used to the goofball who would try to catch him with a butterfly net or force him into costumes. He did know that whenever Natsuki was serious about something, he would put everything into what needed to be done, whether it concerned music or simply staying with a friend in need of company. "Thanks."

"How long do you need to stay in here?"

"A few days, five at the most. They want to monitor my condition, just in case the heart attack aggravated it." He sat up. "I hate being in here. Ever since I was a kid, I was in and out of hospitals. Even that time I told you I'd had the flu when I was ten."

Natsuki rose from his seat, bent over and embraced his friend. It was a lot more gentle, compared to the glomps he tended to give. "I'll stay with you during this time. I'm sure Ringo-sensei will understand."

"Thanks." Sho returned the embrace. "You're nuts, but you're still the best friend I've had."

Natsuki smiled. "You are too. Few people can handle my idiosyncracies. I know I push you close to the edge with cosplay demands, but you're still with me."

"And, you know what? I will be for a long time to come. I promise."

"That's good to know."

Sho kept his promise. Even though there were close calls with his condition, he still lived on. Natsuki was by his side the whole way. Whenever Sho was admitted into hospital, Natsuki refused to leave his side, even if it meant sleeping in the room as well. Natsuki even visited the doctor with Sho during check-ups.

One night, Sho woke from his slumber. Because of Natsuki being by his side all the time, he suddenly felt lonely, even if his friend was in the bed beside his. No, wait, he wasn't. His glasses had come off as one can't sleep while wearing them, and Satsuki had come out. But, because he didn't want to exhaust Natsuki's body, he simply growled _don't wake me_ and promptly went to sleep.

Normally, Sho preferred to keep a distance from the dangerous Satsuki, only coming close to replace the spectacles in order to bring Natsuki back. But, he was finding it hard to sleep. With his mind made up, he climbed out of bed and crossed to the other.

Satsuki's eyes shot open. He quickly sat up, only slightly relieved it was just Sho. "Didn't I tell you not to wake me?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Then get back to bed and don't disturb me!"

Sho appeared defiant. "No. I can't sleep so I'm going to sleep with Natsuki, and you can't stop me."

Satsuki sighed. "He's been tired. Maybe you can help him. But, I'm warning you now, don't you dare wake him once he's asleep, no matter what. Got it? No matter how hard he hugs you, you are not to wake him, or I'll be back. The only reason I'm not hurting you is because it would hurt Natsuki." After the warning was given, it was clear that Natsuki had returned. A confused, friendly face replaced the angry one.

"Natsuki?"

"Huh?" He blinked sleepily. "Sho-chan?"

"Yeah." He turned away as he started blushing. "Can't sleep."

"Oh? Well then, would you like to share the bed?"

"Y-yeah."

Natsuki smiled warmly, shifted over and pulled back the covers. "Just like our childhood, huh?"

"Shut up," the younger one replied, no malice in his tone. He climbed into the bed. As it was a single bed, they were both pretty close. Slowly, Sho put an arm over Natsuki's shoulder, not surprised when the older pulled him close into an embrace. "Night, Natsuki."

"Goodnight, Sho-chan." He gave the younger teen a quick peck on the forehead.

Sho blushed, but just closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Natsuki watched the other's features become peaceful, he'd always loved to see Sho sleep, it was another thing he'd found cute about his younger friend. _Another thing to love about him_. He closed his eyes and fell into a peaceful slumber. Sho was with him, everything was fine.

Sho woke the next morning, and saw Natsuki's slumbering expression. He'd only seen it if the older was sitting up and dozing. Every other time, the face he saw was Satsuki's. He had to admit that Natsuki's expression was beautiful. He could see how peaceful he appeared, compared to the hard expression Satsuki had. He could see how long his eyelashes were, and there was a slight smile on his face. He knew he had to wake him for classes, but he was still wary of Satsuki's warning. _How can I wake him without waking him?_ Only one thing came to mind. _That?_ Taking a deep breath, he closed the inches between them and pressed his lips to Natsuki's. He prayed to anyone who was listening that it was Natsuki who would wake, not Satsuki.

Someone was listening. Natsuki opened sleepy green eyes as he felt someone's lips on his. They widened as his mind registered it was Sho who was kissing him. _But, why?_ should've been his thought. But, he was thinking about nothing other than kissing him back, and that was what he did.

Sho registered that Natsuki was kissing him in reciprocation. He should've ended there, all his common sense said so. But, he couldn't.

After a couple of minutes of sharing the chaste, slow kiss, they pulled apart. "You know, I wouldn't mind being woken in that manner every morning," Natsuki chuckled.

"Well, don't get used to it," Sho muttered as he blushed lightly.

"I wish we didn't have classes today, I want to stay like this, forever if possible."

"Idiot..."

Natsuki chuckled again as he held Sho close to his body. "Well, they say it is fools who fall in love."

"Guess that makes both of us idiots."

"That night I had you wear fifteen different outfits, I wanted to get as many photos of you as I could. I couldn't...I can't stand the thought of life without you, and wanted many reminders of you, for if you..."

"Like I said, I'm not going anywhere. You're enough of an incentive to keep living. What would you do if I wasn't around?"

"I'd rather not ever find out."

"Neither. Besides...I guess I wanna stay with you. I couldn't sleep because you weren't with me."

"Sho-chan..."

"So...yeah, I guess I love you."

"I'm so happy! I love you too."

"Do you wanna kiss again?"

Natsuki initiated their second kiss that morning.

They lay there, forgetting about classes. "This will have to be kept secret until after graduation. You know that, right?" Sho commented.

Natsuki nodded. "Yes, but won't everyone be surprised when they find out?"

"Not really. I already hear people suggesting there's more than friendship between us."

"Anyway, one of my duties as your boyfriend is to prepare a bento lunch for you everyday."

"No, you don't have to do that!"

Natsuki chuckled and moved to kiss him again.


End file.
